Reach Through the Darkness
by valae-windlass
Summary: A single decision leads Mai towards her own death, or towards salvation.


Hey! Well, this is my first fanfic ever, so any form of constructive critiscism would be wonderful. :)

Takes place after Crossroads of Destiny, but I highly doubt there is any chance of being close to canon, so unless you don't know what happened during Season 2, there's no spoilers.

_Italics_ - show past actions

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Avatar. At all. That right belongs to Nickelodeon and various other peoples.

**Reach through the Darkness**

Her world was an all encompassing sphere of black. It was not the blotchy shades of light-induced shadows, created by an overhead cloud or the flickering of a candle. Light didn't _exist_ here, had never watched over this ground, would never caress her skin with its soothing tendrils of warmth. This darkness smothered her in its embrace, a solid barrier that pierced and confounded the senses. Sable pupils dilated but saw nothing, ears listened raptly to the deafening murmur of her own muted heartbeat; callused fingers met only the countless grains of grit and dirt.

_How long have I been here?, _her mind wondered. She no longer spoke, refusing to listen to her cracking, hoarse voice reverberate without an accompanying reply...and horrified when that _nothing_ finally began to answer back.

Hugging her knees closer to her chest, she huddled against the corner of her cage, her prison of eternal night.

The cell's door opened.

---------

_The waterbending girl twisted in a quick circle, the water flowing up with the corkscrew movement, freezing as it rose. The miniature throwing darts embedded harmlessly in the shield._

_Mai grimaced in frustration and leapt back from the reprisal of cutting waves, risking a side-glance at the other figures fighting on the walls and rooftop of Ba Sing Se's palace._

_The Avatar could be clearly picked out; only he could flip and glide and weave in the air like that. His acrobatics continued, lest he collide with the snake-like strikes of flame and lighting streaking forth from Azula's hands and feet._

_Ty Lee cartwheeled down the ramp and flipped over several members of the Dai Li, landing as graceful as a cat before somersaulting just as fast beneath the water tribe female's waterwhips to jab at her back. The girl had learned from their past encounters, however, and created another ice barrier, effectively (and painfully) stopping Ty Lee's assault._

_The dances of blades, wind, water, and flames continued, but a nagging feeling kept Mai off-balance and unfocused. It hit, finally, right as she released two crossbow bolts at her opponent in quick succession._

_The waterbender's brother, the earthbender, and Zuko were missing._

_---------_

It was a change in the air that confirmed the intrusion to her cell. The stale, suffocating humidity replaced by a drier breeze. The cast-iron gate to her jail cell was well oiled, and her Dai Li tormentors never spoke a word to her. Without sight, without sound, touch and smell revealed her world.

The light reverberations from steady footsteps pulsed through her fingertips, alerting her to the lone approaching figure. One hand continued following the vibrations while the other slowly felt about the ground, finally coming to rest on a jagged shale rock. Firmly grasping the naturally-made weapon, she waited.

They would not hear her screams this night.

--------

_An entire section of the Inner Keep's wall burst apart, large blocks of granite crashing among the startled Dai Li. Many composed themselves enough to force the giant slabs harmlessly to the side; the slower reacting were crushed under the falling debris._

_The billowing cloud of dust enveloped the battleground. Squinting against the choking powder, Mai finally spotted the four outlines emerging from the palace's prison. At the vanguard position of the group, Mai was unsurprised to see the earthbender and the water tribe warrior rush out, stances rigid and prepared for a fight. Instead of sprinting toward the Avatar or aiding their tiring waterbender, like she anticipated, the two kept a vigilant guard over the two hobbling forms behind them._

_Pale tawny eyes widened, her heart beat fitfully, and her hands convulsively gripped her daggers a little tighter as Zuko entered her line of sight, aiding his now freed uncle._

_She only prayed the Avatar would keep Azula's attention. _

_--------_

The man – only a man breathed that deep, a lower tenor – stopped halfway inside the cell. Barely two paces away, she crouched, alert and ready, but he didn't move from his spot.

Her silent pants matched the pace of his breathing; she would give him no chance to find her in this _her_ realm of darkness. The time had come for retribution.

She lunged upward, razor-edged rock effortlessly guided by desperate panic.

The cell exploded into light, pure, blinding light. Unaccustomed eyes shrunk to miniscule points. A gasp ripped from her throat.

Her knees gave out.

The shale shiv shattered on the ground.

She drowned in twin pools of burning gold.

---------

_Azula's flame shot out with more fervor than before, blue blaze now tinged white with her fury. She was a cacophony of disjointed attacks, stance shifting between patterns without a rhythm._

_The Avatar and waterbender had managed to join together, combined defenses barely stemming the biting fire. Back to back, they slowly attempted to regroup with the rest of their allies._

_The Fire Princess redoubled her attacks, the need to release her rage on her traitorous brother fueling every action, scorch marks trailing behind her path._

_"Run." The single word came with her shaky breath, Mai freed from her shock-induced paralysis. Only the three Dai Li standing nearby heard the plea, and before anyone could react, they were down; three flashes of steel glinted in the light of dusk._

_"Run." Louder now came her voice. Faster now came her movements. Deadlier now came her strikes. Dai Li soldiers fell like leaves caught in a whirlwind._

_Panic and confusion rippled out from her position. Even those still engaged with the Avatar's group turned, the new threat unexpected from the guarded rear. Only Azula seemed unfazed by the sudden turnabout, focus on her brother alone. All others froze at the sight of the blood covered lady of blades._

_The shrieking whistle of splitting wind reached Azula's ear and broke through her single-minded assault. Pushing off with her left foot, she dove to the side as a recognized silver flicker embedded itself inches from her head; a closer glance revealed a crimson stain gracing the edge of the stiletto. A fine sliver of blood streaked down her cheek._

_"Run!" Mai's shout resounded throughout the compound, petitioning eyes finally locking with the hesitating Fire Prince. Silent words passed between them. Bitter denial and an old sadness coursed across Zuko's countenance. Taking a firmer hold on his uncle, he fled with the Avatar's force._

_She took to the sky then, and flung out her arm with the last of her reserves. Out of weapons, out of reasons to continue fighting, she touched back down to the earth. A sharp blow to the back of her neck dropped Mai unceremoniously to the bloodstained dirt. She could feel the waves of apology and sorrow flowing through Ty Lee behind her._

_Mai didn't mind. It didn't matter anymore…_

_She smiled into unconsciousness._

_--------_

His hands, so warm and steady, prevented her from collapsing. The familiar darkness encased them once more. His hot breath on her neck sent shivers down her spine.

This was no illusion.

Gently setting her down, a lighter flame lit the room, easing her eyes into sight gradually. He bent down, eyes roaming her body for signs of injury. By the tense set of his jaw and his furrowing brow, he was not pleased with the answer. He muttered a curse and ran his free hand through his growing mane of hair absentmindedly.

Her gaze never left his face all the while. His fidgeting fingers and emblazed hand, his dusty and frayed robes, his twin battle-scarred swords, all lay forgotten. Except for his face. To her, the dark rings of unrest under his good eye, the angry flare of his nostrils, the jumble of determination and concern and fear _for her_; these kept her attention. _He was real and he was alive. _Never before had she enjoyed the erratic beating of her heart.

He finally noticed her intense stare, face mere inches from her own. He flew back, falling gracelessly on his butt, cheeks shading deeper than his rouge tinted outer vest. Smirking - _how long had it been since she'd been able to feel this at ease, this happy? –_ she forced herself to her feet. She tottered, for a moment, then harnessed her pain and straightened completely. She would deal with her own problems later.

Crossing the small space of the cell to the flustered young man still sprawled on the ground (_he was still just a boy under it all, _she understood), she extended her hand.

"We need to go."

--------

_Her feet were bleeding when they finished dragging her below the palace proper. The two guards supporting her immobile body pulled her into an upright position. Unable to move her heavy head, she sluggishly watched the polished boots of a third soldier come to attention in front of her. The crinkle of a scroll being unrolled reached her ears behind the deafening ringing in her skull. Mai concentrated as much as possible to understand the words being spoken to her._

_"By decree of the Empress of the Earth Kingdom, Queen Azula, the prisoner has been charged with nine counts of murder for the killings of Dai Li officers, one count of assault to the Empress herself, one count of aiding the enemy, one count of aiding the escape of a high-ranked criminal, and one count of high treason. Of the thirteen charges, the prisoner has been found guilty of all. Her Majesty, in her compassionate mercy, has ordered a tri-layered punishment in order to cleanse the guilty party of all sins before proceeding to the Spirit Realm. Thus, it is by the Empress' command that the prisoner be…"_

_She was beaten and flogged first, so that her physical sins be repaid in full. First Layer: Cleansing of the body. The cat-tailed whip bit viciously into her back. Bended earth cracked ribs and bruised already bleeding flesh. _

_Instead of their cold, detached stares, however, she saw the searing eyes of Zuko. Memories of secret meetings, unsure hands but eager lips numbed her, protected her, before finally succumbing to the loss of blood._

_The merciful wave of oblivion ebbed away, and the pulsating pain that streamed through her back quickened the awakening. Her pale eyes darkened in confusion as she found herself in a catacomb, the underbelly of the prison keep. Some inner recess of her mind managed to connect the hazy details together in her semi-conscious state._

_The Second Layer._

_Cleansing of the mind._

_Two Dai Li forced her to her feet. Mai felt more than saw their sardonic smiles. They pushed her into the empty cell, and extinguished the lanterns they carried._

_Groping blindly in the unnatural night, she crawled away from the door and only stopped when her shaking arms gave out, exhausted. Fingers raw, body beaten and broken, she lay prone as the last words she would hear reached her in a whisper._

_"Repent and prepare for the Final Layer: the Cleansing of the spirit. May the Eternal Fire engulf you fully, to bring you to salvation."_

_The darkness swallowed her whole._

_---------_

The labyrinth of tunnels underneath the palace carried on for miles, twisting and crisscrossing like a mind-numbing puzzle, if she remembered the schematics correctly.

They'd been working their way slowly up the winding passages for over an hour. The sluggish rate of their escape was partly due to redirecting their routes to avoid Dai Li patrols. Mostly, though, it was due to Mai; every step jarred her body with brutal fury. The lower portion, from back down, induced a nauseating pain so powerful she was forced to stop and conquer it again and again.

She had dismissed Zuko's early offers to help (_She was not some delicate china doll, fragile and all too easy to break. She would die rather than be looked down upon), _but her "cleansings" had nearly crushed her. Every second they pressed forward sapped her strength. Zuko's stalwart presence alone kept her moving, but it wasn't long before her legs gave out without her consent.

_We've gone so far…I can't give in now. _Her arms trembled with the futile effort to get back up. Zuko's voice came to her then, soft yet commanding.

"Let me help you Mai."

_He was so close. She felt so warm._

" I'm different now, stronger."

_Your father's Agni Kai nearly destroyed you…but you've grown since then._

"Uncle helped me. I can face Azula…I-I can win. I won't let her use us as her personal game anymore."

_I remember an apple, a fire, a pond, mocking laughter…and you, Zuko. Her game started all this._

"So for once, let me carry you. Please."

He took her gently by the arms, lifting her with an ease that proved his increased strength. Placing them around his neck, he assisted her onto his back, careful to avoid her lacerations. She said nothing during this time, but the tightening of her grip and the tender lay of her head on the crook of his neck showed her acceptance.

_We'll make this work…together._

It was dark when they finally reached the outside. Mai stiffened instinctively, the lack of light all too familiar and all too horrifying. Warmth flooded into her right hand. Glancing up to find the cause, she once again lost herself in Zuko's eyes. His grip on her hand tightened in a comforting gesture before a light smirk stretched across his face. He pointed out toward the distance with his free hand.

Dawn. Midnight blues and violets gave way to pastel pinks, vibrant oranges, and flashing reds. It rose slowly at first, then spread with the speed of a wildfire. The cool night drafts stilled, dying as the first rays of sunlight birthed over the horizon. A genuine smile broke out on Mai's face as they watched the rising sun.

"Ready?" Zuko inquired, the inflections only meant for her (_she never thought she would hear him again) _reviving her from her fatigue.

"Always."

The brilliant light of day crept over the waking city of Ba Sing Se, and two people made their way out of the shadow of the palace. Following the sun.

"Dare to reach out your hand into the darkness, to pull another hand into the light." – Norman B. Rice


End file.
